


Who Needs a Heart

by ginnypotter242, padakrushnackles, piperandkatoptris



Series: In A Heartbeat AU [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Compliant, Happy Ending, In A Heartbeat AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 03:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11683482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnypotter242/pseuds/ginnypotter242, https://archiveofourown.org/users/padakrushnackles/pseuds/padakrushnackles, https://archiveofourown.org/users/piperandkatoptris/pseuds/piperandkatoptris
Summary: Based off of the animated short, In a Heartbeat, Its the series but with a little twist!





	Who Needs a Heart

  * Andrew grew up watching hearts pop out all around him. Growing up in the foster care system means seeing many hearts pop out just to be broken days later. With so many young teens crammed into the same house, crushes were often formed but they were hardly returned. Even when they were, they were soon separated due to the system. Sometimes the hearts never healed. Sometimes they did, but they were always scarred. Andrew had never seen a whole heart remain unmarked and promised himself he would never allow his heart to see the light of day, but that was years ago. Now, Andrew hardly believed he even had a heart. The years passed and even though Andrew had never seen his own physical incarnation of his heart, he knew it was damaged beyond repair. Luckily it never threatened to make an appearance. That is, until trouble arrived during his second year at Palmetto State University.



 

  * “Neil Josten is nothing special” was the first thought Andrew had upon seeing him in the tiny locker rooms at the cruddy high school he attended. Of course, That didn’t stop his heart from violently beating inside his chest. It didn’t show the physical sign of the HeartBeats which usually preceded the arrival of the heart, but it was a close call. Andrew ignored it like he did most things, but it was far from the last time his heart would act up.



 

  * He was convinced it was another side effect of the drugs. Why else would his heartbeat surge like that when Neil responded to him in German? Nonetheless the same rapid heartbeat returned with a vengeance. This eventually became a regular thing. Any time Neil looked at him a certain way, or asked for a truth, or even when he got too excited about Exy, his heartbeat accelerated against his will.



 

  * Andrew finally admitted it was more than just the drugs when his heart jumped out of his chest after he handed the key to his house in Columbia. It wasn’t the act itself, but the face Neil made when he took the key; it was one of surprise and adoration, like he’d never been given anything before. Andrew immediately hated the look but it didn’t stop those HeartBeats from appearing when he turned away from Neil.



 

  * These HeartBeats increased throughout the rest of the semester and Andrew was about ready to cut it out of his chest. Their increasing interactions and conversations were wearing on Andrew’s nerves, always worried that he’d be caught. He never was since the HeartBeats always seemed to be delayed; they didn’t kick in until after Neil was gone. It resulted in Andrew giving in to Neil’s requests just so he wouldn’t be caught when the HeartBeats kicked in.



 

  * It didn’t help that Neil didn’t seem to know about the Hearts. When he saw the two small Hearts clinging to Dan and Matt, he was fascinated and started asking all sorts of questions. Andrew found out later that because of Neil’s life on the run, he hardly saw them and his mother never bothered explaining them to him. He claimed it was because she was too busy focusing on their survival, but Andrew knew it was another way to keep Neil safe. If his Heart ever manifested, it would be considered nothing but a liability. Andrew knew that from experience.



  


  * Driving back home after being released from rehab was almost harder than the time he spent in that hellish hospital. He was hoping the medication was the only reason his HeartBeats had begun, but seeing Neil waiting for him in the lobby had his heart picking up speed the way it had been all school year. Andrew ignored it, and drove them all home in silence. Andrew knew the HeartBeats wouldn’t be delayed anymore and was going to have to be careful from now on. He hadn’t come this far to let his Heart show up now.



 

  * It wasn’t until later on the rooftop when Andrew knew it was helpless. He told Neil he hated him despite his heart said the opposite. He threw Neil’s keys to the ground in an attempt to distract Neil when the HeartBeats made a reappearance and somehow it worked. Neil watched the keys fall as Andrew’s Heart worked to burst out of his chest. Neil went to retrieve the keys and still somehow missed the rapidly aggressive HeartBeat evident in Andrew’s chest. When Neil looked up at him and took a drag from the cigarette Andrew had tossed down there moments before, the one thing Andrew never wanted to happen did. His Heart appeared in front of him. It was an ugly little thing, bruised and scarred and almost unrecognizable as a Heart, but the face was one of pure love and adoration, the exact opposite of how Andrew felt. The excited little thing was ready to run after the stupid boy that caused these feelings, but before it could, Andrew pinned it down with one of his knives.



 

  * He wasn’t ready for this thing to give him away to Neil and the rest of the foxes, so Andrew trapped it in a jar lying around in his room and hid it under his bed. Of course this wasn’t the end. Andrew would repeatedly find the little guy had rolled the jar out from under the bed after interactions with Neil. He pretended not to see the heart’s increasing size and how the marks on it slowly faded with time.



 

  * Much to Andrew’s displeasure, Andrew returned to his dorm after the trip to Columbia that had him admitting his feelings to Neil to find the heart flying freely around the room trying to find a way to escape. Andrew was tired and instead of trying to capture the thing, he let it fly around the room. It went to the door, trying to fit through the cracks of the door. It also tried and  failed to open the window. The little Heart had grown to almost twice its original size, but it was still too small to do much of anything. Andrew put it in a box, and opened the window himself, smoking until he couldn’t hear the Heart bouncing around the box anymore.



 

  * Andrew was annoyed. He told Neil he hated him, and he meant it, but here they were on the roof again, Neil’s heart obviously beating, blush evident and bewildered with the new sensation. Apparently Neil enjoyed being hated. Despite this, Neil still had to audacity to ask about the other ten percent. He couldn’t tell him that the other ten percent was trapped in a box under his bed, so he didn’t. When Neil told him he wanted to see him lose control, Andrew could practically feel his Heart bursting out of the box.


  * Andrew kissed Neil. After months of denying and fighting it, he finally kissed the stupid scared boy he’d been infatuated with. When he pulled back, it was to see his Heart had broken free and was heading straight for Neil. Andrew tried to pull it from Neil’s shoulder but to his surprise, Neil stopped him, “No, it’s okay. How long have you been hiding it?” 



“Is this another truth?” Andrew asked in return.

Neil shrugged. “If you want it to be.”

“Since I told you at Eden’s Twilight,” Neil’s face was one of delight and Andrew wanted to punch the look off of his face. Or maybe he wanted to kiss it.

 

  * After that, Andrew’s heart stayed close to Neil, often chilling in his pockets or somewhere it wasn’t seen. How it knew not to be obvious, Andrew wasn’t sure but he was thankful. It only came out when Neil confronted him later when the dorm was empty. This time, it wasn’t alone and as Neil told him “yes,” Neil’s own Heart popped out, reaching for Andrew. This changed everything.



 

  * Neil’s heart was hard to hide, and Andrew wasn’t sure if he wanted to. The effort it would take to keep it hidden was more exhausting that Andrew had the patience for. So the rest of the foxes caught on rather quickly. They assumed it was one sided, but they’d soon find out that was hardly the case.



 

  * Andrew found Neil’s bag after the riot and found his own heart trapped inside next to the phone Andrew had given him. Andrew was angry, as well as scared for Neil, but more angry that he gave up his heart and phone so willingly. In the hours that past, Andrew could see the cracks forming in his small heart and didn’t bother to hide it. The foxes watched cautiously as the cracks spread farther down the Heart. Neil’s own heart remained by Andrew’s side but mourned over the loss of Andrew’s own Heart.



 

  * But then the FBI came and soon they were reunited. Andrew’s Heart reached Neil faster than he did and Andrew no longer cared who saw because Neil was here and he was okay. He was damaged and bruised and scarred, just like Andrew was. Both their hearts were ruined little things, but they were happy together and Andrew thought that maybe these Hearts weren’t as bad as he initially thought they were.



**Author's Note:**

> This is part of a series Im writing with my friends consisting of In a Heartbeat Alternate Universes for all sorts of fandoms and ships! Go check them out!


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